How are humans impacting the environment?

The ability of ecosystems to provide these services depends on BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OR ______________ = a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. BIODIVERSITY

Where can you find Biodiversity? Tropical Regions of the world contain 2/3 of all land species on Earth Biodiversity increases as you move toward the Equator

BIODIVERSITY makes ecosystems more _______ Ecosystems with _____ biodiversity are better able to resist ____________ such as species loss, pollution, invasive species, urban development, climate change, etc. STABLE DISTURBANCES MORE

VOCAB Species that has died out = ______________ Species whose population size is rapidly declining and will become extinct if the trend continues = _____________ Species that is at risk of becoming endangered in the near future = ____________ threatened extinct endangered

The declining population of one species can affect an entire ecosystem. Question: What would happen to this ecosystem if kelp forest were destroyed?

__________ = any harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, air, or water ________ = Mixture of chemicals that appear as a gray-brown haze in the atmosphere BIODIVERSITY THREAT Pollutant smog

Burning __________ releases pollutants that cause smog and other problems in atmosphere. Toxic chemicals like nitrates, sulfates, and particulates can cause _____________ like ___________ AIR RESOURCES fossil fuels breathing problems asthma

Smokestack “Scrubbers” can control emissions Auto emission standards Clean air regulations Reduce use of fossil fuels HOW DO WE HELP ?

Our Atmosphere Composed of 78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen 1% Argon >1% carbon dioxide and other gases.

Our Atmosphere Many of the gases released by fossil fuels and poisonous or harmful to the environment. Chemical formulas – O 2 the oxygen we breathe – O 3 Ozone – CO 2 Carbon Dioxide

Our atmosphere between km contains high concentrations of ____________ which protect us from the sun’s harmful ______________ radiation. OZONE LAYER ultra-violet OZONE (O 3 )

Ozone Ozone is a highly radioactive, unstable molecule

WHAT WE KNOW Scientists have been monitoring the ____________ of ozone in our atmosphere and have discovered a hole in the ozone layer over ____________. depletion Antarctica Click here to see a movie about the ozone hole WMV, 616K

Stratosphere Ozone is good up high, and bad nearby.

EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION Click here to see a movie about the effects of UV radiation WMV, 618K __________________________________ ________________________ of skin __________________________________ Reduces ________________ Disrupts __________________ in oceans Skin cancer Cataracts/blindness Premature aging crop yield food chains

What’s the cause of Ozone Depletion? Chlorofluorocarbon molecules _______ released from air conditioners, aerosol spray cans, fire extinguishers, and industry ________________ destroy ozone (CFC’s)

OZONE DEPLETION How do we help? We can't make enough ozone to replace what's been destroyed, but provided that we stop producing ozone-depleting substances, computer models predict natural ozone production reactions should return the ozone layer to normal levels by about This is the first example of different countries getting together on an environmental issue, agreeing on what to do, doing something, and seeing a positive effect

Emissions to Atmosphere Nitrogen oxides Sulfur dioxide Chemical Transformation Nitric acid Sulfuric acid Precipitation Acid rain, fog, snow, and mist Dry Fallout Condensation particulates, gases IndustryTransportationOre smeltingPower generation ACID RAIN What’s the cause?________________________ BURNING FOSSIL FUELS Releases _______________ and ________________ into the atmosphere that react with water to produce ACID RAIN. Sulfur oxides Nitrogen oxides

ACID RAIN EFFECTS damages buildings and statues damages forests kills fish reduces biodiversity causes illness & premature death from heart & lung disorders like asthma and bronchitis

HOW DO WE HELP? Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels ~ conserve electricity ~ drive less Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels ACID RAIN Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch) Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes use of alternative renewable energy sources

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range ______________ because the _____________ acts as a natural _________________ blanket. atmosphere suitable for life insulating

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Atmospheric gases such as ___________________ NORMALLY trap heat energy from the sun like a greenhouse = _____________________ Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) Greenhouse effect methane water vapor CFC’s

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE- Is it real? Some people say that the Earth has cycles of warmer/cooler climate change and that this is just part of that cycle. Most scientists believe that the increase in global temperatures is the result of human activities that have increased the amount of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

WHAT’S the CAUSE? Burning solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), wood and wood products Production and transport of fossil fuels Decomposition of organic wastes in landfills Animal sources (methane) Deforestation (trees remove CO 2 from atmosphere) GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

WHAT NEXT? Some developed countries have already declared that they will not continue to follow commitments to reduce emissions developing countries have increased their carbon emissions by 130% or more Delegates from nearly 200 countries have met several times for major climate talks, but no new agreement has been reached. They have just agreed to “talk about it” Some countries say no deal will be in place until at least 2020.

What is a CARBON FOOTPRINT? A ____________________ = the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product CARBON FOOTPRINT /

Even if you don’t “believe” in global warming... Even if countries can’t agree on emission levels … we should still work to reduce our emissions of global warming gases BECAUSE...

THINK ABOUT IT Scientists are RIGHT about man-made Climate change Scientists are WRONG about man-made Climate change WE KEEP DOING WHAT WE ARE DOING- NOTHING! Environmental Disaster Consequences too awful to think about Still have other problems associated with fossil fuel use: pollution/acid rain/ dependence on our enemies WE WORK TO GET OFF FOSSIL FUELS CHANGES HELP TURN THINGS AROUND + solve other fossil fuel problems Solves other problems associated with fossil fuel use REALLY BAD BAD BEST! GOOD!

HOW DO WE HELP? Cut down on CO 2 emissions (with or without the Kyoto accord) Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch) Reduce deforestation (plants use CO 2 ) Watch your own carbon footprint

HOW DO WE HELP? Support funding for research on environmental issues and alternative energy production Develop a National Energy Policy that emphasizes alternative energy and conservation GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE Encourage innovation and creation of new ideas, technology, and solutions to environmental problems Vote for leaders that support environmental issues Write to your representatives and tell them what you think Power of one video

What happens next depends on YOU! YOUR GENERATION is the KEY Only 3 percent of voters 18 to 34 DON’T believe that climate change real.

Americans use BILLIONS of gallons of freshwater daily for ________, ________ and ___________________ FRESH WATER RESOURCES drinkingwashing watering crops

DON’T FORGET THE _________________ Water used to make products that we don’t think or know about The PRODUCTION OF: 1 kg wheat costs 1,300 L water kg rice costs 3,400 L water 1 kg eggs costs 3,300 L water 1 kg beef costs 15,000 L water 1 cotton shirt costs 2,500 L water 1000 g of blue jeans costs 10,850 liters water 1 ton passenger car costs 400,000 liters of water Building a house uses about 6 million liters of water HIDDEN WATER VIDEOS “INVISIBLE WATER”

Water conservation Protect wetlands and forests Water treatment plants Clean water regulations HOW DO WE HELP ? hhttp://

Human activities affect ________________ like land, forests, air, fresh water. How can we provide for our needs without using up all resources? _____________________________ THE BIG QUESTION ? renewable resources = SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ~ Use natural resources without using them up ~ Provide for human needs WITHOUT causing long term environmental harm

Pollutant Example: _____ was first modern insecticide It was cheap, stayed active for long time, and killed many different insects Used to control agriculture pests and disease carrying _______________ DDT MOSQUITOES

When DDT was sprayed, runoff carried it into rivers and streams in LOW concentrations. agle-9.jpg DDT then passes into organisms through the ___________, is stored in _______, and doesn’t ___________. food chains tissues degrade

______________________________ = the ____________ of a harmful substance ____________as it passes to organisms at _______________levels in food chain or web. BIOLOGICAL MAGNIFICATION Plants pick up DDT from water & store it Herbivores eat plants and store some DDT Carnivores eat herbivores and store more DDT →→ concentration increases higher trophic

The wide spread use of DDT threatened many species… especially fish eating birds like osprey, brown pelican, and bald eagles. DDT causes birds to lay eggs with ___________ shells so eggs would break when sat on. American Bald Eagle was declared endangered in It has since been reclassified as _____________________ fragile “threatened”